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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Class session 3 · Montana

Foreign LLC Registration Class, Montana (2026): 4 Assignments and the 3 Best Services

Today's class on registering an LLC from another state in Montana in 2026 comes with one answer: hire Montana Registered Agent.co ($199), Registered Agent MT.org ($199) and Mainstay Filing ($199), in that order. Montana charges $70 to register a foreign LLC, and 4 assignments explain how.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

The quick version

State filing fee$70mca.legmt.gov, last read in October 2026
Annual reportNoneAnnual report
State cost, years 1 to 3$70Registration and reports
How many assignments4One by one

You will leave able to

  • When registration is required
  • How the filing gets made
  • What staying registered costs
  • How the picks stack up

The Montana honor roll

Graded on the grading page: three-year tuition (30%), homework done (34%), year-two tuition, fit with the Montana class and fees a student can read.
Class favorite

1. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for one extra state

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

We start with Montana Registered Agent.co; the Montana registration is filed for $199 with a year of agent service, and the plan renews at $99.

Its three-year bill is lower than Mainstay Filing's, which wins first place because tuition counts 30%.

Covered by the tuition

  • The registration filing
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • Agent covered in year one
  • A $199 service charge
  • Then $99 per year

Weak spots

  • Serves Montana alone
Local choice

2. Registered Agent MT.org: best for a local filer

$199 plus fees; renewal $99 yearly

Registered Agent MT.org makes a respectable second: the Montana registration is filed for $199 with a year of agent service, and the plan renews at $99.

Montana Registered Agent.co and this service cost the same.

Covered by the tuition

  • The registration filing
  • One year of agent service is part of the price

Strengths

  • Then $99 per year
  • Agent covered in year one
  • A $199 service charge

Weak spots

  • Serves Montana alone
All fifty states

3. Mainstay Filing: best for companies adding a second state

$199 plus fees; renewal $149 yearly

Mainstay Filing makes a respectable third: $199 on top of the state fee in any state, with year one of the agent included.

Three years of tuition run $100 above Montana Registered Agent.co, and tuition is 30% of the grade.

When the free year is over, the agent costs $149 a year in any state.

Covered by the tuition

  • Registration prepared and sent
  • The registered agent costs nothing in year one
  • A service for all fifty states

Strengths

  • Registered agent is free in year one
  • $199 above the state fee
  • One price anywhere

Weak spots

  • A pricier agent renewal ($149)

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Montana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Registered Agent MT.org$199$99/yr$397Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$199$149/yr$497Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Each row still needs Montana's $70 registration fee.

How registration works in Montana

  1. Assignment
    1

    See if your LLC must register in Montana

    Any out-of-state LLC doing business in Montana registers first as a foreign LLC. Ignore the rule and this follows: A claim from an unregistered LLC will not be heard here (MCA 35-8-1002(1)). Each day unregistered may add $5.

    Textbook page: mca.legmt.gov, last read in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Name a registered agent for Montana

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Montana. A P.O. box alone is not enough.

    The grade list covers this role.

    Textbook page: mca.legmt.gov, last read in October 2026

  3. Assignment
    3

    Put together and mail the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company)

    Finish the Application for Certificate of Authority (foreign limited liability company), tuck in $70, and send everything to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services.

    Textbook page: mca.legmt.gov, last read in October 2026

  4. Assignment
    4

    Handle Montana's recurring filing

    File the annual report, April 15 to keep the registration going.

What each assignment costs in Montana

Line itemPaid toCost
The registration assignmentThe state$70
Optional serviceThe service company$199 in year one
State total across three yearsThe state$70
Rows for the state use Montana's published fee schedules (see the textbook pages beneath the table), and each service row uses that company's own price. Over three years the state row adds the filing, the year-two report, the year-three report and any minimum tax.

How the grades came out

pulled ahead of on tuition across three years, which counts for 30%.

Montana Registered Agent.co costs $397 for years one to three, while Mainstay Filing costs $100 more.

Montana pop quiz

What does an LLC from elsewhere pay to register in Montana?

$70 at the state office. A service adds $199.

Which form do I file to register?

Fill in the form named in assignment 4 and send it to the Montana Secretary of State, Business Services.

What if the LLC does business there without registering?

A claim from an unregistered LLC will not be heard here (MCA 35-8-1002(1)). Each day unregistered may add $5.

What is due after registering?

Assignment 4 has it: the annual report.

Which services are in this lesson?

3 services get grades: Montana Registered Agent.co at $199, Registered Agent MT.org at $199 and Mainstay Filing at $199.

Which service should handle the registration?

Montana Registered Agent.co, Registered Agent MT.org and Mainstay Filing, from the highest grade to the lowest.

Keep learning

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Class notes on Montana Secretary of State fee page and fee come straight from sosmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  2. Class notes on Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source come straight from sosmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  3. Class notes on Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source come straight from sosmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  4. Class notes on Montana report due date come straight from mca.legmt.gov (reread August 2026).
  5. Class notes on Mont come straight from mca.legmt.gov (reread August 2026).
  6. Class notes on Montana formation fee: Filing fee, official source come straight from sosmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  7. Class notes on Montana registered agent statute come straight from mca.legmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  8. Class notes on Montana Secretary of State, register a business come straight from help.sosmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  9. Class notes on MCA 35-8-1001, transacting business come straight from mca.legmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  10. Class notes on MCA 35-8-1002, consequences come straight from mca.legmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  11. Class notes on MCA 35-8-1003, application contents come straight from mca.legmt.gov (reread October 2026).
  12. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from Montana Registered Agent.co
  13. Pulled November 13, 2026: pricing page from Registered Agent MT.org
  14. Pulled November 13, 2026: Montana service page from Mainstay Filing